Sopwith Camel

Successful and Versatile British Fighter of WWI

It had wicked torque and killed a lot of novice British pilots, but
the Sopwith Camel (5,490 produced) shot down more German aircraft
(1,294) than any other Allied plane.

Its name derived from the slight hump forward of the cockpit. Its
twin 30 caliber Vickers machine guns enabled it to destroy its (by WW2
or modern standards) flimsy opponents.

Development

The Camel grew out of the Sopwith Pup, a little fighter introduced in
1916, but which was soon outclassed by the German Albatroses and
Halberstadts. Sopwith's chief designer, Herbert Smith, began work on
the Pup's successor in late 1916, and by December, the prototype "F.1"
was ready to fly. Sopwith built several prototypes:

N518 - powered by new AR.1 150hp (112kW) rotary. In production,
this engine became the BR.1 (Bentley Rotary) and powered the Camels
delivered to the Navy.

In appearance and design, the plane was not revolutionary. A biplane
combining a distinct dihedral in the lower wing with a flat upper wing,
it did have a distinctive "tapered gap." The fuselage was a wooden,
box-like structure, covered with aluminum up front, plywood-covered
around the cockpit, and then fabric-covered back to the tail.

With its center of gravity very far forward (the engine, fuel tank,
guns, and pilot were all in the front third of the plane), the aircraft
was tricky to fly, but very maneuverable for a skilled pilot. While 413
Camel pilots were shot down in combat, 385 were lost in non-combat
related situations, many due to the Camel's difficult handling

Specifications of the F.1 Camel:

Engine: 130hp Clerget 9-cylinder rotary engine

Max. Speed: 117 MPH at sea level

Ceiling: 19,000 feet

Climb Rate: 10 minutes to reach 10,000 feet

Weight: 929 lb. empty, 1,453 lb. fully loaded

Wingspan: 28 feet

Length: 18 ft 9 in

Height: 8 ft 6 in

Wing area: 231 sq ft

Guns: Two synchronized .303 inch Vickers machine guns. The
Camel was the first British fighter to mount twin forward-firing
machine guns side-by-side, a natural arrangement that became standard
for the RAF.

Camel Units

No. 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9 Naval Squadrons were among the first to receive
Camels. On July 4, 1917, Camels of No. 4 Squadron attacked a flight of
German Gotha bombers over Ostend, destroying at least one - the Sopwith
Camel's first aerial victories.

That same month, No. 70 Squadron of the RFC also received Camels,
soon followed by No. 45 and No. 43 Squadrons.

Camel Squadrons - Autumn 1918

Squadron No.

Front

Airfield

Comments

3

France

Lechelle

-

46

France

Busigny

-

54

France

Merchin

-

65

France

Bissegham

-

70

France

Droglandt

-

73

France

Malencourt

-

80

France

Bertry

-

151

France

Bancourt

-

152

France

Carvin

-

201

France

La Targette

former No. 1 Naval

203

France

Bruille

former No. 3 Naval

204

France

Heule

former No. 4 Naval

209

France

Bruille

former No. 9 Naval, Roy Brown

210

France

Boussieres

former No. 10 Naval

213

France

Bergues

former No. 13 Naval, Ray Collishaw

43 - IAF

France

Bettancourt

-

28

Italy

Treviso

-

66

Italy

San Pietro

Billy Barker

150

Greece

Salonica

-

222

Greece

Thasos

-

44

England

Hainault Farm

-

50

England

Bekesbourne

-

51

England

Marham

-

78

England

Sutton's Farm

-

112

England

Throwley

-

143

England

Detling

-

The RNAS pioneered Sop Camels with their early aircraft carriers HMS
Furious and Pegasus. Camels from Furious, in July
1918, bombed and destroyed the Zeppelin sheds at Tondern.

The versatile little planes were used as balloon busters and
fighters. When equipped with LePrieur rockets, they were deadly against
all airships. At sea, they were deployed from cruisers, battleships and
even towed platforms. With Cooper bombs, they were useful as light
bombers, and were also used extensively against German infantry in the
trenches.

Two U.S. Air Service squadrons, the 17th and 148th, used the Camel
in combat while assigned to British forces during the summer and fall
of 1918. Such famous U.S. pilots as George Vaughn, Elliot White
Springs, Errol Zistel and Larry Callahan were members of the 17th and
148th.

Famous Aces

Among the high-scoring aces to fly the Camel were the Canadian aces: Billy Barker, Ray
Collishaw, Roy Brown (who shot down the Red Baron), Donald
MacLaren.

Postwar Service

Relatively few Camels served after the Armistice; some flew for
Belgium, Greece, and Poland. Camels also flew with "White" British
units in the Russian Civil War.

Very few Sopwith Camels have survived into the Third Millenium. One
source indicated that there are only seven originals left (not counting
replicas).